CCPC engagement leads to supermarket loyalty card changes for tourists and visitors
November 14, 2025
Following engagement with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), Tesco Ireland Limited has changed its Clubcard registration process to allow all customers of its stores in Ireland, including those who are temporarily resident in Ireland, to obtain a Tesco Clubcard.
The issue arose when a customer normally resident elsewhere in the EU was temporarily living in Ireland. They were unable to register for a Clubcard because the then-registration process required an Irish address and phone number.
The customer made a complaint to their national consumer authority, which subsequently issued a request for enforcement measures to the CCPC citing a potential breach of the Geo-blocking Regulation. The Regulation prohibits unjustified geo-blocking based on a customer’s nationality, place of residence or location.
CCPC officers examined the issue and engaged with Tesco. On foot of this, Tesco updated the Clubcard section of its website to add a registration option for non-residents. This provides a dedicated phone number for non-resident consumers to call so that they can apply for and access a Clubcard. Tesco’s customer engagement team has been trained to provide the appropriate support.
The CCPC has been monitoring implementation of these changes and has now concluded its work.
The Geo-blocking Regulation (Regulation 2018/302) applies to online and offline transactions within the EU. It prohibits traders from discriminating between EU consumers on the basis of nationality, residence or establishment, as long as the consumer accepts the conditions applied domestically. It does not oblige traders to start delivering across borders or to apply the same prices in all locations. Further information available at 10 Key Features of the Geo-blocking Regulation | Shaping Europe’s digital future
Read more about geo-blocking at Geo-blocking: What you need to know – CCPC Business
The CCPC is a member of the Consumer Protection Cooperation (CPC) network – a network of national authorities responsible for enforcing consumer protection laws in the EU and EEA. The CPC Regulation (Regulation 2017/2394) sets out a mutual assistance mechanism allowing national authorities to request that an authority in another member state takes enforcement action against an intra-EU infringement of consumer protection law.
Return to News